Drinking tube



April 14, 1942. c. HANSON, J| 2,279,395

C. Hams-07a zf' IN V EN TOR.

Patented Apr. 14, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DRINKING TUBE Christian Hanson, J r., Rockaway Park, N. Y.

Application May 7, 1941, Serial No. 392,371

1 Claim.

It is a common practice to employ two tubes or straws in drinking soda water and other liquids. The ordinary soda straws are circular in cross section and do not fit the lips well, either when used singly or in a pair. Moreover, air passes into the mouth of the user between the straws, even though the straws touch along a longitudinal line.

This invention aims to provide a soda straw of curved outline throughout its entire cross section, and of unequal transverse dimensions, large enough to carry the flow through two ordinary straws of circular cross section, the straw fitting the lips of the user and being capable of being bent into a bow, for storage in a bottle.

It is within the province of the disclosure to improve generally and to enhance the utility of devices of that type to which the present invention appertains.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of con- 1 struction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 shows in side elevation, a soda straw constructed in accordance with the invention, mounted in a container or bottle;

Fig. 2 shows the straw in elevation, at right angles to the showing of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section, wherein a part of the straw is broken away;

Fig. 4 is a cross section of the straw.

In carrying out the invention, there is provided a drinking tube or straw I, made of any appropriate bendable material. Preferably, the straw l is not resilient. The straw is buoyant.

As shown at 2, the straw l is curved throughout its entire cross section and of unequal trans-- verse dimensions. More specifically, the straw I may be approximately elliptical in cross section.

At one end of the straw, its side walls brought together,' in a direction at right angles to its longer transverse dimension, to form a V-shaped closure 3 at one end of the straw, the closed end of the straw being the mouth end. The closing of the straw as at 3 adapts it to the lips of the user. The straw I may be opened as much as desired at its closed end, by pinching the straw parallel to the longer transverse dimension thereof.

The cross section of the straw, shown at 2,

facilitates the bending of the straw into a bow,-

as shown at 4, and the straw I can be put in a bottle 5, beneath the bottle cap 6.

When the bottle cap 6 is removed, the straw will float upwardly enough so that the user can take hold of its upper end, and, if desired, the straw'may be straightened as much as the operator wishes, to increase its effective length and to enable the user to drain the bottle 5.

' The device is simple in construction but will be found thoroughly advantageous to consum mate the objects set forth in the opening portion of this specification.

What is claimed is:

A drinking tube of the soda-straw type, having a cross-section approximating an ellipse, the tube being bowed in a direction at right angles to the major axis of the ellipse, the tube being formed of material which is stiif enough to hold the bow until the tube is straightened by an operator, the approximately-ellipticalcross section of the tube facilitating the bowing of the tube, considering the nature of the materialirom which it is formed.

' CHRISTIAN HANSON, J12. 

